2026 Longlist Ockham Awards BookHub Award for Illustrated Non Fiction
Books of Mana celebrates the rich tradition of Maori authorship in Aotearoa New Zealand. It reveals the central place of over 200 years of print literacy within te ao Maori and vividly conveys how books are understood as taonga tuku iho – treasured items handed down through generations.
In this beautifully illustrated collection of essays, some of Aotearoa New Zealand’s most renowned Maori thinkers join the editors in a wide-ranging korero about the influence and empowerment of Maori writing.
Books of Mana builds on the work of editors Jacinta Ruru, Angela Wanhalla and Jeanette Wikaira, who curated Te Takarangi, a selected list of Maori-authored non-fiction books published since 1815. Launched in 2018, the Te Takarangi list now comprises 180 titles, each representing an important touchstone in an extensive landscape of Maori literature. Books of Mana explores the ways these books have enriched lives and helped to foster understanding of Maori experience, both at home in Aotearoa and internationally. What emerges from the essays collected within these covers is a clear vision of the importance of writing as activism and a profound sense that these Maori-authored non-fiction books, and the knowledge they contain, are taonga.
Jacinta Ruru FRSNZ (Raukawa, Ngati Ranginui) is the Deputy Vice-Chancellor Maori and a Distinguished Professor of Law at Otakou Whakaihu Waka University of Otago. Her work focuses on reconciling state legal systems with Indigenous laws and advocating for policies aligned with Te Tiriti o Waitangi to empower Maori in managing and governing lands and waters.
Angela Wanhalla FRSNZ (Kai Tahu) is a Professor of History at Otakou Whakaihu Waka University of Otago. She researches the impacts of colonialism on Maori, women and whanau, particularly in relation to colonial visual culture and Maori engagement with nineteenth-century photography.
Jeanette Wikaira (Ngati Pukenga, Ngati Tamatera, Ngapuhi) is the Executive Manager of Arts, Culture and Recreation at Dunedin City Council. She focuses on reclaiming story sovereignty to support community agency, creativity and courage.
ISBN: 9781990048852
Publication date: 01/02/2025
Price: $65.00
RRP: $65.00
Format: Hardback
Available stock: 5
Publishing status: Active
Author: Ruru, Jacinta /Wanhalla, Angela
Illustrator: Wikaira, Jeanette
Imprint: Otago University Press
